The Orchard in Appaloosa
by MissMahjong
Summary: Prince Blueblood is in a world of trouble, and his only help comes in the happy-go-lucky form of Braeburn. A budding friendship, soon blossoms into something more meaningful for the both of them, but not all is roses in Appaloosan paradise, they have to over come prejudice, complicated feelings and other troubles that could potentially hold them back. Love conquers all.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: These ponies are not mine, I simply like to play with them, I own no ponies.

'The latest issue of 'In Your Muzzle', presents a scandalous account of stories featuring one very Royal and very Spoiled pony, Prince Blueblood. Tales of verbal abuse towards staff, close run ins with authority, nearly fatal collisions with paparazzi ponies and even more scandals that will shake the royal family to their core, the stories continue on page 23.'

The dark blue mare huffed in anger and embarrassment as she finished the article. "That is enough. I must talk with my sister. GUARDS! PREPARE MY CHARIOT, WE LEAVE IMMEDIATELY!"

Shining Armor, a stallion and captain of the royal guard was on duty when he noticed a twinkle in the sky, which worried him for a brief moment until he recognized the figures.

Princess Luna, landed gracefully with her chariot in the courtyard of the castle grounds, Shining Armor greeted her.

"Your Majesty, your appearance is surprising, but not at all unwelcome. How may I be of assistance?"

"Captain Shining, your company is most delightful, is my sister available for conversation?"

"I believe she is at lunch right now, may I escort you to her?"

"Yes Captain Shining, that would be lovely, thank you."

"Not a problem, Your Highness. If you will follow me."

Shining lead her to Princess Celestias' room, where she was enjoying her lunch.

"Oh, Luna! It's great to see you, a lovely surprise."

"My apologizes for not announcing my presence earlier, but I thought it was best we talk amongst ourselves, which reminds me, Captain Shining, you are dismissed."

"Thank you, Princess Luna." Shining left with a bow.

"Your too sweet on him."

"It's a shame he's married, waste of a good stallion, but Cadence is just as nice, so I don't mind her."

Princess Celestia smiled, it was nice of Luna to drop by, however, Luna appeared to have something on her mind, she looked irritated.

"Please, help yourself to some lunch, there's more than enough."

"I'd rather not, we must talk. Have you read todays article of In Your Muzzle?"

"I don't make it a habit of reading cheap gossip."

"It's not exactly cheap gossip if a certain member of our distinct family wasn't the feature of said cheap tabloid!" Luna magically turned her sisters' copy of the paper to the page, with their nephews picture as the feature picture.

Princess Celestia raised an eyebrow at Prince Bluebloods face and the title under.

"So they dug up a little dirt, the paparazzi ponies always do, it's nothing to worry about Luna."

"Read the article, that's all I ask."

Celestia gave her a look, "Fine." And so she read the article and was absolutely appalled at the things her nephew has done, which was proven true with pictures.

"I, I don't want to believe this."

"Neither did I, Celest, but pictures don't lie. You have to teach him a lesson, one that he can never forget."

"I don't know what to do, though."

Down the hall from them, was Prince Blueblood, yelling at the castle cleaning staff.

"Are you color blind! The sheets I sleep on are cotton blue, to match my eyes! These pieces of shit sheets are sky blue! Sky Blue!

"I, I, I'm sorry, Prince Blueblood!" the maid pony cried.

"Sorry doesn't cut it, I want my cotton blue sheets! I seriously question your intelligence as a pony, since to can't tell the difference between those shades of blue, your eyesight is terrible, ugh, your face is hideous, no stallion would ever date you, and I can see why your part of the cleaning staff!"

The maid pony ran away from the Prince crying, all the while Blueblood yelled after her, "And you don't listen to authority, I haven't dismissed you!"

Both Luna and Celestia, not to mention the castle hall guards as well, heard all this commotion. "Enough of family dishonor, I know what to do."

"Whatever you think is wise, Princess Celestia."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: These ain't my ponies, enough said.

A knock on his door knocked Prince Blueblood out of his stupor of vanity, he was admiring his reflection in the mirror.

"Enter if you must." He called over with attitude

"Their Majesties, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, would like your presence in the throne room." Captain Shining address him.

"I'm here to escort you over there."

"How long do I have?"

"They wish for your immediate presence."

"Oh, then I have about ten minutes to get ready."

Shining Armor held in a frustrated sigh, he never really got along with the Prince, granted the Prince never liked him either, for whatever reason.

"Your Highness Prince Blueblood, The Princesses will not be pleased for waiting that long, they-"

"Captain Shining, you are to speak when spoken too, understand?"

"Yes, Your Highness." Said Shining Armor through tight lips.

"We'll leave in a moment, let me send this letter out I'm expecting company." Blueblood gave Shining a look of irritation, as they left his room, heading towards the throne room.

"Well?"

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"Aren't you curious to what company I'm expecting?"

"It's not my business, Prince Blueblood."

"Your damn right it's not your business, however I'll tell you anyway. I've invited the media to gather in the throne room as well, since today is a very special and very sudden day."

"Very well, Your Highness."

"Oh, stop it. If anything you should be worried about today, care to guess why?"

"Why, Your Highness?" Shining was growing bored with this conversation, but tolerated it anyway.

"Because, today is my coronation day, and the minute I become King Blueblood, you will be demoted to latrine maintenance of the battlefield."

Although Captain Shining was leading them, Blueblood suddenly got in his face, far too aggressive for Shining standards, but Blueblood was lucky that Shining was assigned to protect the royal family, and not hurt it, or else Shining Armor would have let the royal prick have right then and there.

"I don't like you Captain Shining Armor, never did, however my Aunt saw something in you and you've proven yourself to her, not me, and when I'm king, you never will. If I were you, I'd start packing."

Shining was so grateful for his high tolerance training of bullshit, he just sighed, and was considering to releasing a bit of steam later on the training grounds.

They entered the throne room, with Shining Armor finding his place among the guards and announced, "Prince Blueblood, heir to the Equestrian Throne, has arrived Your Majesties!"

"Thank you Captain."

Prince Blueblood stood before them, but soon a commotion was going on towards the rooms door way.

"Why are they here?"

"Oh, Princess Luna, Princess Celestia, if you don't mind, I've invited some guest to witness this great day of Equestrian history."

Princess Celestia look perplexed, "Prince Blueblood, I'm afraid you don't understand, we only wanted your presence, not-"

"Please, I want them here to account this glorious day," He turned and barked out, "Captain, let the media in before they have a Frenzy!"

Shining Armor look at Princess Celestia for permission.

"I think you should, sister dear." Luna whispered to her, and Celestia gave the OK.

The ponies of the media and a few Canterlot ponies joined in on the crowd. As soon as they settled, Prince Blueblood gave his full attention to his Aunts.

Princess Celestia began to speak,

"Prince Blueblood, heir to the Equestrian Throne, you have the appearance of royalty and the grace that even I, myself envy, " Blueblood was sucking it all up, beaming with pride as the media ponies took photos.

"However, this meeting is not what you think it is." Blueblood beaming smile faltered a bit.

"It's not?"

"No."

"So, this is not my coronation ceremony?"

"No, far from it actually. I wanted this meeting just between family, but you got the media involved so now we must face this. There are photos of you, scandalous photos and stories to back it up, that you are an arrogant, ignorant, spoiled, self-imposing, conceited, cruel and terrible stallion in the history of this family, let alone the kingdom."

"Wha- What!" His smile fell off as soon as she ranted on about his character.

"All of your controversial situations have been recorded on In Your Muzzle-"

"That's just a stupid tabloid, they have no proof!"

"ENOUGH, BLUEBLOOD!" He cowered a bit, but the audience in the room was stunned.

"I have read the stories in the article, and I at first I did not want to believe them, however I looked into their truth and there are police and guard reports of these incidents. You have disobeyed the sanctum of this family by prancing around as if the world was your oyster, your treat others below you with disrespect and patronize those above you, and you just undermined my authority. Are these horrible traits truly worthy or even desirable in a future King of Equestria?"

Prince Blueblood stayed silent, with his head held high, but not as high when he was beaming.

"Prince Blueblood of Equestria, you are here by striped of your title and discharged as heir to the throne."

A collective gasp went about the room, even Captain Shining was caught off guard, but the flashing of cameras doubled and the paparazzi ponies caught Bluebloods reaction.

"What! Wait!, Just wait, you! You can't do this!, You can't just strip me of MY Title, I was born with it! You can't take it from me!" Blueblood was stunned, that was a low blow to his pride, he panicked.

"I suppose you were born with the title of prince, but that's all it will be for you, you will no longer have any princely duties and the title grants you no special treatment."

The emotions going through him were almost too much to bear, the hurt, anger, panic, fury, rage, humiliation, jus to name a few.

"And, … the throne, who will inherit the kingdom?" he asked with mixed emotions.

"One pony that is worthy of the throne."

Blueblood looked at both his aunts with pleading eyes, but the decision was final, in just a few seconds, Blueblood went from prince to common pony. The tension and humiliation in the room grew as he stood there, so he ran, from the room, down the hall, out the courtyard and through the gate, he fled Cantorlot.

The guards took care of escorting the paparazzi ponies out of the castle, while Princess Luna and Princess Celestia talked quietly.

"Was that too harsh of a punishment?"

"No, he brought it upon himself, announcing a coronation, indeed. That self entitlement, we know that came from his mothers side, Our dear Brother, Orion, was never like that, … our poor brother must be turning in his grave now. I never liked that mare."

"I'm worried to where he ran off to.. will he be ok?"

"Dearest sister, he is a full gown stallion, the punk will be fine. It's for the best that he sees the world anyway, he'll learn lesson better first hand."

Authors note: It's my first time writing not only a chapter story but with ponies, yay! I love fictional drama more than real life drama.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: These ponies ain't mine, enough said.

The pounding in his head felt like his heart had relocated to his brain, he felt beyond terrible, he had an ache all over his body, the smell of serious liquor in his nostrils and a dry mouth. Blueblood felt like shit, and he was pretty sure he looked like shit too. The clip clop of on coming hooves is what woke him up, but now two shadows of strange stallions loomed over him.

"Young stallion, you is in a heap of trouble."

The prince peeked at the talking stallion, grey with a black mustache and a silver star as a badge and cutie mark.

"Are you the local authority?" Blueblood asked with annoyance, why couldn't they just let him sleep?

"Sho' is colt. I ain't seen you around these parts, where you from colt?"

"Do I look like I socialize with riffraff like you?" he dulled out

"Hey! You be respectful when the Sheriff is talkin' to you!"

Blueblood looked over at the second stallion, a light grey with a bronze star badge and cutie mark, the prince gazed him over and snorted, which angered the grey stallion.

"Easy deputy, this colt looks mighty familiar… Oh, I see. Deputy, write a letter to Her Majesty Princess Celestia, tell her we have her nephew, royal pain in the flank here in Appaloosa. And when you is done, have the town guard deliver it."

"Sheriff, are ya sayin' that there is Prince Blueblood?"

That's when blueblood started to laugh, bitterly.

"Prince, hah! Yeah, more like ex-prince, it's just a silly word now! Aha ha ha ha!"

"Yep, he's just a drunk now. C'mon colt, lets go to the station."

"I'm not going any where, I'm going to stay, lying here on this floor and wait to die, because there is no point to continue living, I have no purpose."

"Colt, ya can't stay here, you is going to the station." The sheriff was losing his patience.

"And I Said NO!"

"Sheriff, I reckon he's still a bit drunk."

Sheriff Silverstar nodded a bit, gave Blueblood a look of contempt and knocked him out with a good hoof to the muzzle.

"Deputy, let's get 'im over to the station, there's a cell with his name on it."

"Alright Sheriff."

"I ain't got no time fer spoiled ponies, lock 'im up, let 'im sober."

The deputy manage to get the ex-royal on his back and take him to the station, mean while the sheriff was staring down the ex-royal,

'Jus wait 'til you see what you did to our town, and if what ya say is true, that ya ain't a prince no mo' then how is you goin' to repay fer all the damages ya done did in yo drunken' rampage?'

~~~~~~~~~~~~Story Divide~~~~~~~~~~~BlueBurn~~~~~~~~Yay!~~~~~~~

Braeburn trotted into town, ready to get supplies for his orchard, when his heart stopped at the sight of the town. Some buildings had broken windows, broken doors, sections of the wall completely torn off and the Salt Block had the most damage. Braeburn noticed a group of ponies looking at the damage and he approached them.

"Hey, everypony, what's goin' on?"

"Hey, if it ain't the coltcuddler, finally leavin' this here town with ya homo ways?"

Braeburn rolled his eyes, the town stallions always gave him a hard time since they found out about his secret, but they only talked shit.

"I ain't leavin', ya need to realize that his town needs my orchard, without it, Appaloosa will still be a ghost town."

"Alright, leave the cuddler alone, he ain't at fault here."

"Who is, who in their right mind, would do all of this?"

"Sheriff says a feller out of town came here last night and wrecked damn near everything. Feller was pissed drunk, some poncy unicorn from the castle o' somethin'."

Braeburn was furious, nopony comes into his town almost destroys everything with out paying for it. A small commotion distracted them, coming from the sheriffs station, the owners of the damaged buildings were raging on about how could this happen, who was going to pay, jail time for the pony that caused the trouble and one of them mentioned hanging.

"What's the Sheriff goin' to do with the feller?"

"I reckon the sheriff will call them castle ponies, they come here, pick him up and pay for all the damages."

"Uh-uh, tain't fair, the castle feller destroyed everything, he has to suffer the consequences of what he did, I'ma talk with the sheriff." Braeburn went to the station.

"I don't like him, Braeburn, but he's right, that castle feller needs to pay fer what he did."

"You agreein' wit the coldcuddler now, you homo too?"

"No, colt, but he's right."

"Fine, he's right. … you think little gay Brae is interested in this castle feller?"

"I don't care what Braeburn does, as long as it stays on his orchard where I can't see, I don't care."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own no ponies, no matter how much I want to, I don't.

Braeburn entered the sheriffs' station, trying to adjust his eyes from the bright desert sun to the dark place that was the jail. Sheriff Silverstar tipped his hat in Braeburns' direction, but the golden yellow stallion hardly noticed, he was looking for the castle feller the sheriff caught and saw him, in the corner cell to the Braeburns' left.

"Is that 'im, Sheriff?" Braeburn approached the cell aggressively, snorting a bit as he looked through the bars.

"Yep, Prince Blueblood of that Canterlot. Jus knocked 'im out earlier, feller was bein' a prick. Talkin' down to the deputy and mehself, wasn't goin' to take that."

"Sheriff, you mean this here castle feller is royalty and the nephew to Princess Celestia! What's he doin' out here?" Braeburn walked towards the sheriffs' direction, listening but still looking at the prince.

"Well, that there colt got some issues, if the drunken' rampage around town has any say. Feller says he ain't a prince no mo', I'm waiting on the deputy to return with a letter from her Majesty 'bout her kin, and we'll go from there."

"Sheriff, t'ain't right, he should be pay the town back, instead of the Princess repairin' everythan', she ain't the one tearin' up the town, he did. I only hope them Canterlot castle folks ain't as spoiled as I think they are and decide the right thang." Braeburn really hoped that the Princess didn't just compensate the damage done but show the Prince or former Prince that he can't get away with causing destruction.

The deputy trotted in and gave the letter to Sheriff Silverstar,  
"Well, Braeburn, the answer is in this here envelope."

Sheriff Silverstar opened and read the letter to himself, leaving the deputy and Braeburn to wait with anticipation. The sheriffs eyebrows went up slightly, which the golden yellow stallion knew was surprise.

"Well, sheriff, what's it say?"

"I'll be damned…"

"Sheriff, what's goin' on?" the deputy asked.

"It's true, that feller ain't a prince any mo', so them castle folks is gonna leave 'im high and dry."

"You mean-"

"They ain't payin' fer nuthin', which means our prisoner has to pay. Ya got what ya want Braeburn, now can ya tell me how that spoiled feller in the cell is goin' to repay everypony he caused damage too, when he ain't got no money?"

Brseburn though for a bit,

"What about havin' 'im work fer them ponies he caused trouble fer?"

"Can't do, them town ponies want nothin' to do with 'im, other than getting' their money fer repairs. They even talked 'bout hangin' the drunk son of o' bitch." Said the deputy.

Braeburn thought for a bit more, and came to one idea that was crazy but was necessary for both the town and Braeburn. He knew the idea might bite on the ass, but it had to be done.

"Sheriff, I'll give 'im a job, on my orchard. He can work fer me, as a helping hoof."

"I don't know colt, he was easy to predict before, cause he was drunk, but when he's sober, what's he gonna say?"

"He can't say or do much, Sheriff, his castle kin won't back 'im up and the ponies around here are gonna want some kind of punishment and retribution. I reckon, it'll be punishment enough if he works fer me, since the other ponies of this town think so, and he'll make money on the orchard doin' good honest hard work."

"Braeburn, now don't think so low of yerself, colt, yer a good stallion, it's jus' them ponies haven't seen it yet, and they is missin' out."

Sheriff Silverstar genuinely liked Braeburn, as a son, and didn't want the stallions' kindness to be taken for granted, as the majority of the town has taken it. However, he still wasn't sure if Braeburns motives were pure, he heard some stories, of course he didn't believe them, but he still wasn't sure.

"Sheriff, please understand, I have no more workers on the orchard, why two days ago, my last and most loyal employee left, sayin' he needed a better pay cause of his family was getting' bigger, which I understand but that leaves me with no help at all. Make this Blueblood feller work on the orchard to pay back the town ponies."

The sheriff was still debating about it.

"Look, Sheriff, I'll be honest, the orchard hasn't been the same since Nugget left, if anythan' he, 'huff' he" Braeburn still had a bit of trouble expressing what happened on the orchard.

"He lost some business fer ya, alright, I understand. That Blueblood feller from here on out will work on yer orchard, to repay the damages he done did to our town, Appaloosa. Deputy, send another letter to Her Majesty, tellin' her what's been decided."

"Ok, Sheriff." The deputy started writing.

"Braeburn, it's probably a better idea to let 'im work fer ya, the town ponies will hardly see 'im and they be happy to get their money, jus' one question, how do you reckon sleepin' tornado over there is gonna take the news?"

"He probably goin' be mad, hell it be weird if he wasn't, but Sheriff, ya reap what ya sow, and he sowed himself one, alright."

Author's note: It's interesting to see how little stallion on stallion stories there are, if this story goes as planned, hopefully I can contribute more colt-cuddling stories, yay. A quick shout out to those that have read, faved and reviewed the story so far, Thank You!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: No tengo ningún caballitos. (I own no ponies, ha! Surprised you with some bilingual-ness. Next time, I'll try it in French.)

That was the second time in the same day that Blueblood woke up on the dusty wooden floor, where the hell was his luck? He struggled a bit to get up and just noticed several iron bars only centimeters from his face. He looked beyond the bars to see the two previous ponies from his earlier encounter and a golden yellow stallion complete with brown suede vest and a brown Stetson hat, too country in Bluebloods opinion.

"Hey, what is this place?"

"Well look who's finally awake?" Said the sheriff, the deputy snorted while the other stallion approached the cell.

"Hey there, do ya know where you are?"

"In some hillbilly, desert country in the middle of no where."

"Wrong! You're in Appaloosa."

Blueblood gave him a look that clearly said 'what's the difference?'

"You've caused a lot of trouble in this here town, and the ponies around here ain't happy with you."

"So, that means…?"

"That's why you're in that cell, because you did a lot of damage, that you now have to pay for."

"Fine, I'll pay for it, leave me in this stupid cell to forever rot in jail and end up being a dry bag of bones."

Braeburn rolled his eyes, while the deputy wondered out loud,

"Are them Canterlot ponies always so dramatic?"

"I reckon they are, it comes with bein' fancy and all, done with the letter?"

"Yep." And the deputy left.

"Ya know Yer Highness," said the sheriff, Blueblood shot him a dirty look

"I contacted the Princess about yer predicament down here," Blueblood looked a bit hopeful,

"And they ain't gonna do nuthin' 'bout helpin' ya, so your stuck, or…"

Blueblood caught that small hint,

"Or?"

"I'll let Braeburn take it from here."

Blueblood brought his attention to the other stallion, not at all impressed.

"Care to explain this 'or' business, it's rather cryptic."

"That attitude of yours ain't gonna get you any where, at least not around these parts. Here's the deal, you are in some trouble and at the moment you have no means to pay for it, so I'll help ya out. I own an orchard, just a ten minutes outside of town, and I'll give you a job working there and pay you good money, to pay for the damages ya made in town, how does that sound?"

"You're going to give me a job working on your orchard, like some hard working class hero? HA! You expect me to do manual labor! The country may not suit me but you are all hilarious, manual labor, Pffft! Ha ha ha ha ha!" Blueblood laughed, like he was going to do to hard work, yeah right.

Braeburn was getting mad, how dare this castle feller laugh in his face, he was only trying to help him out.

Blueblood didn't notice the change in Braeburns demeanor, still laughing at the idea of him doing manual labor.

"First of all, I am not lifting a hoof, second, I don't do any kind of labor, work or any thing related, and third, this pelt does not get sweaty because sweaty leads to being dirty, and I refuse to get dirty that way."

That's when Braeburn got real angry, with an aggressive approach near the cell,

"Look, you ain't got any other choice, it's simple, you work for me, get paid and pay back the town shop owners, alright? Them town ponies want some kind of retribution from ya and for a small while, they was talkin' about hangin' ya for what you did. Yeah, hangin'. My solution to everyponies' problem will also save your life, okay partner?"

Blueblood was shocked and scared, the town wanted to hang him, for some damage, which he was sure wasn't that bad, but this country stallion was serious about the hanging and about giving him a job. He was also conflicted, when Braeburn got mad at him, Blueblood noticed the anger and felt scared and dare he think excited at the same time, there was a spark of passion in those green eyes of Braeburns, that Blueblood had never expected from a country pony.

"As soon as you open this cell, I'm running for it, and getting the hell out of here."

"With what supplies, you can't survive in this here desert with out some necessities, especially a fancy castle stallion like you, just face it, ya need my help, like I need you,"

Once again, some excitement loomed in Blueblood,

"to work on my orchard."

And Bluebloods excitement just died.

~~~~~~~Story Divide~~~~~BlueBurn~~~~~~Happy~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They left the sheriffs station, with Braeburn leading the way, when the angry mob of town ponies approached them.

"That's the stallion, that ruined everythan'!"

"Some pony get some rope!"

"My business is ruined 'cause you're a lousy pony!"

"Ya drunken' fool, just look at the Salt Block!"

"Ma! Get mah gun, some pony don't deserve to walk."

They were almost surrounded, Blueblood was surveying the damage he caused in his intoxicated stupor, and he couldn't believe it. He caused all this destruction and didn't know how to face it, at home, he didn't care because he didn't have to deal with the consequences after, unlike in Appaloosa, they wanted consequences.

"Now hold on everypony, I got a solution to this."

"And what's that Gayburn, kiss 'im to death as punishment?"

"No, this here feller will work for me, on the orchard and he'll pay all of you back."

"Now see here Braeburn, we don't want no brothels caterin' to yer kind so-"

"Nah, it ain't like that! He'll be doin' chores and harvestin' apples, that's his punishment, since he don't like doin' hard work."

"Did the sheriff agree to this?"

"Yep."

The town ponies seemed convinced that Blueblood will work and pay them off.

"Alright, I'm fine with that, but who's he gonna pay first?"

"I won't be making up all that I owe you in one time, so I'll pay back all of you in payments until I'm done, is that ok?"

It was the first time he spoke about his impending punishment, and Braeburn was a little impressed that this spoiled pony was going to face his time for doing the crime. Blueblood saw the look the country stallion was giving him and felt his stomach tingle a bit, what was that feeling?

"Fine, that's fine." Some of the town ponies walked away while one remained,

"Still think we should hang 'im, or at least give him a gimp leg." That pony soon left and Blueblood felt a bit relieved, the country was tough.

"Are your hooves shakin' a bit? Ya seemed nervous."

"Ha, aha, ha… how can you tell?"

"I know these things, Appaloosa ain't no place for a soft pony, so better thickin' your hide quickly, the desert has no mercy."

Authors note: I like Braeburns last line, it has a western movie feeling to it.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I have no ownership rights to these ponies, this is all fiction, no matter how I want it to be canon, can you imagine?

It was late and dark out when both Braeburn and Blueblood reached the orchard, after the town ponies commotion, Braeburn remembered he still had to get some supplies, and they went from store to store, getting what the country stallion needed.

Blueblood noticed he was getting dirty looks and he honestly felt a bit remorseful on the inside, but didn't show it on the outside, he had an image or the remains of an image. What he also noticed was that some of the store owners were giving Braeburn either a hard time about certain products or they would do business quickly and tell them to get out, of course, Blueblood didn't want to think too much about it, these were simple minded ponies, they probably would get irritated by any little thing. But, there were also the comments towards Braeburn he heard earlier and wanted to wonder about those too, but quickly got over that. He didn't care for these ponies, just work, earn enough money to pay them back and get out of town quickly.

The path through the trees to Braeburns house looked like something out of a scary story, the way the trees seemed close together and compact, it felt claustrophobic. They reached the house and entered.

"Well, home sweet home. C'mon, I'll make ya a quick bite to eat before hitting the hay."

"I'll pass on eating, far too depressed."

"Alright, but are ya sure?"

"Yes."

"Then, I'll show ya to your room."

Blueblood followed his house mate up the stairs to the second floor, where he noticed five doors, three on the right, two on the left.

"On your left, we have two guest bedrooms, and on your right we have my bedroom, the hall closet and the bathroom. Which room do you want?"

"I'll take this first one."

"Ok, lemme get you a blanket from the closet and then you're all set."

Braeburn got the blanket and gave it to Blueblood.

"Thanks." The ex-royal dulled out.

"I still think you should eat somethin' but I ain't gonna force ya. Get a good nights rest, 'cause come sun rise, work starts, and I will show you the true meaning of hard work, good night." Braeburn left to his room down the hall.

"Yeah,… night."

Blueblood entered his room, didn't think much of the décor, it was mediocre and country, enough said, but there was a bed and at the moment, that's all he needed. He got in bed and just laid there, staring up at the ceiling, wondering, truly wondering why everything went wrong for him. What did he do to deserve such a fate? The thoughts were exhausting and he eventually fell asleep.

When Braeburn woke up, it was still dark out, the sun hadn't risen yet, but the sky was getting a bit lighter, that's when an idea struck the stallion. He remembered Braeburn had said they will start working when the sun was up, that was about a good thirty minutes from then, maybe Blueblood could sneak out and escape? It was a spur of the moment idea, but there was a kitchen down stairs and Braeburn did say you can't survive in the desert without some supplies.

Blueblood quickly but silently checked the hallway, left his room, down the stairs, to the kitchen, gathered some food, water and left the house, he felt almost stupid with happiness at his own clever idea of leaving the area entirely, when he heard Braeburns voice only a few feet away from him. His heart stopped and then doubled in paced, turning towards the country pony, in stunned silence, mouth a gape, he couldn't believe that he got caught.

"You have to get up pretty early in the mornin' if you're plannin' to leave." The look Braeburn gave him was of disappointment and it kind of pulled at Blueblood.

"I ain't gonna stop you, leave if ya want, but doin' that only tells the town ponies that you Canterlot ponies can't face your troubles. I know a lot of ponies who don't like them Canterlot ponies, sayin' they're spoiled, stuck up and snotty. I realize that you're like that too, but runnin' away from here will only cement the idea of you bein' to snotty and too good to pay your debts, don't you wanna change that?"

Blueblood didn't know how to react, on the one hand, it was an open door to leave this place once and for all, but on the other hand, he felt a pull to stay and work which confused him, why would he stay, when he can leave? It had to do with something in Braeburns eyes, he figured, probably because those eyes shouldn't look so disappointed, let alone disappointed in him. Damn these moral conflicts, he never had them at the palace, why now?

"Look, before you make up your mind, let me show you somethin' inspirin', follow me, please."

Braeburn lead Blueblood off of the porch, towards another path through the trees, leading to the hills and mountains. They trotted up hill for some time, until they reached the flat peak, which overlooked the entire orchard, the sun still wasn't up yet.

"You're gonna see somethin' amazin' when that sunlight comes over this here mountain, I promise."

They waited in silence for a few minutes, both feeling kind of awkward, Blueblood because he didn't know if he should go or stay, and Braeburn because this was his personal thinking spot he was sharing, no other pony that worked for him knew about this spot. The sky was getting lighter.

"Alright, any minute now, just wait for it."

"It's just trees in some sun light, "

"Wait for it…"

"It can't be that impressive, I mean,"

"Wait for it…"

"I've seen my aunt bring up the sun and it was,"

"Now look!"

The scene before Blueblood was like out of a painting in the palace. The golden brilliance of light, illuminating the orchard and the sky, making the trees grow long in shadow. The view was utterly amazing and Blueblood was taken back with a sensation of delightful chills running along his body, a tear almost escaped his eye.

"Ain't that view somethin' special?"

"It's beautiful."

"Sure is, but it's hard work tryin' to maintain this place, which is why I need your help, all of my workers left, as to why, I don't want to explain it but it's just me now and I can use another hoof around. Which is why I took the opportunity to get ya out of jail to work, it's a win win for the both us."

"Does work include tree bucking?"

"Yep, sure does and rope tyin', egg gatherin', chicken hatchin', cow milkin', apple havestin', cider makin', and all kinds of farm fun, you in?"

"I'll try it out, as long as at the end of the day, I get to shower."

"And you'll be earnin' your keep. Alright, let's get to work!"

Blueblood felt the odd combination of misery and elation, he had a feeling that Braeburns smiling face had something to do with the positive feeling.

~~~~~~~~~~Story Divide~~~~~~~~BlueBurn~~~~~~NittyGrittyTime~~~~~

They were by some trees near the house, Braeburn wanted to show Blueblood a quick apple bucking demonstration.

"Alright, ya take two of these here buckets, and place them on either side of the tree like so, "

He placed the buckets,

"And then you stand with your back end towards the tree, a little distant from the trunk and kick." Braeburn then kicked the tree with both hind legs, and the apples were knocked into both buckets.

"You can use both legs or just one, dependin' on how strong you are. Go on, your turn."

Blueblood really did not want to do this, such a menial task, but the expectation on Braeburns face was a bit encouraging. He kicked, with one leg, and it was weak.

"What was that?"

"I kicked the tree."

"Yeah, and nothin' fell out."

"The apples are stubborn."

"Wrong, your kick wasn't that strong."

"Are you questioning my strength?"

"Yeah I am. Try it again."

The former prince kicked again, the kick was still weak, Braeburn had an idea to put some fire in the stallions belly.

"Listen, if you could do all that damage to the buildings in town, then how can you not kick some apples out of this tree?"

"I was intoxicated, I don't remember doing all of that, it's a blur."

"Somethin' must have made ya drink like that, what happened?"

Blueblood was forced to remember why he went drinking in the first place, the incident at the palace, he was stripped of his inheritance.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"C'mon, talkin' will make you feel better."

"It's none of your business!" Blueblood raised his voice.

"Fine, it's none of my business, but put that anger to some good use, get to kickin'"

Blueblood used both legs to kick the tree, apples fell out, into the buckets.

"Now that's better, your goin' to buck this section of the orchard, it's small since your new to workin' and stuff, so when your done, it'll be lunch time. Come to the porch and we'll eat and get back to work. I gotta check on some other stuff, but I'll be back."

Braeburn left with a smile on his face, Blueblood reacted like every spoiled foal he knew in town.

Blueblood started to work with energy, which didn't seem to affect him, until his ninth tree, then the lack of using his hind legs started to kick in, he still needed sixteen more trees to go in the area.

By the time lunch rolled around, the ex-royal was absolutely miserable, he was sweating, he felt dirty, and he was tired. He thought Braeburn was crazy for wanting to do all this hard work, where was the fun in all of this?

"Well, partner, I hope ya worked up an appetite, 'cause I made some good stuff. We have some hay and carrot salad, cinnamon and apple turnover, and some toast for zapapple jam, I had canned for when the season was over."

"It looks really good, for peasant food."

"Wow!"

"What?"

"Why can't you just be grateful for what you have?"

"Why can't I, What?! Be grateful? For this?! This is nothing compared to what I used to eat in Canterlot. A long table so full of food to feed twelve kings, and that was brunch!"

"It sounds like you Canterlot ponies like to throw your money around, just to prove your rich."

"It's crucial that very elegant and very expensive social events are celebrated, as proof of our socialite status, the absolute elite of elite in Canterlot." Blueblood felt proud to explain some socialite ways to this country stallion.

"Mm hm, but you ain't in Canterlot, your in Appaloosa, where my orchard is one the reasons, this town is still runnin' and where food is cherished to provide us energy to work, in order to make money to buy more food, and stuff for the house, the barn and the orchard. So why don't you just eat some of this good food, so we can get back to work."

"Well, I, I um.." Blueblood want to give a comeback so badly but he couldn't argue with Braeburn, he knew the pony had a point, a damn good one too.

"Listen, I realize that your probably exhausted from doing such hard work, so I highly suggest that you eat the toast with zapapple jam, it'll put some zing back into ya."

"Fine."

They were eating in tense silence, Blueblood was stewing because he had no counter argument, and Braeburn because he knew he might have pushed the former princes buttons.

"Aright, I'ma try to lighten the mood, your name's Blueblood, yeah?"

"Yes."

"I'ma call you Blue, it saves time."

"Uh, no. I highly prefer it if you call me Blueblood."

"Do you know how long it takes to say Blueblood? Blue blood, Bloo Blooduh, Blueblood. That's a mouthful, nah, I'm callin' ya Blue. You can call me Brae, if ya want?

"I'll just stick to Braeburn."


End file.
